Snowboards are popularly used for the recreational purpose of gliding on snow, such as on a ski slope, for example. Snowboards are generally well known, and typically have a laminate construction that includes a base material, a laminate body supported on top of the base, and a metal edge.
The base material includes a bottom surface, which is the primary snow-engaging surface. That is, the bottom surface of the base material is what glides across the snow, and it is typically formed from a sintered or extruded, porous base material. One commonly used base material is sintered ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene, sold under the registered trademark P-TEX by IMS Composite Plastics. A wax or other friction reducing material is usually impregnated within the porous base material. As the snowboard flexes, the wax is “squeezed” out of the pores of the base material ensuring that wax is regularly reintroduced onto the bottom surface during use.
The snowboard body is commonly formed from wood, such as aspen or poplar, for example. The body is fixed to the base material and includes numerous threaded inserts to which bindings are typically secured. A metal edge is supported along the body and extends along the periphery of the base material providing a relatively rigid edge to carve through the snow and ice. Though the metal edge material typically extends about the entire periphery of the snowboard, the two generally linear portions along the straight sides of the board are typically referred to as the edges of the board. A top sheet is typically applied along the body opposite the base material. The top sheet can be formed from any one of a variety of materials, such as plastic or fiberglass, for example, and often includes graphics and other decorative details. A side wall can optionally be provided adjacent the edge material and body to improve the aesthetics of the snowboard and further secure the edges to the body.
After use, the base material and the edges of the snowboard typically need reconditioned and sometimes repaired, depending upon the conditions of use, among other things. In the former case, the old wax that had previously been impregnated into the base material is stripped off of the bottom surface and the base material is re-impregnated with wax. Additionally, the edges are commonly tuned by sharpening the corner of the metal edge material. In the latter case, gouges in the base material may need to be filled or in some cases small sections of the base material may need to be replaced. In either case, it is desirable to securely support the snowboard while such reconditioning or repair is being undertaken. Particularly so that the appropriate force and precision of technique can be used during the various processes.
Snowboard support apparatuses have been provided heretofore and commonly include a pair of spaced-apart support stands each having a vertically extending slot therein that is suitable for supporting a snowboard on an edge thereof, as shown in Brill (U.S. Pat. No. 6,305,679), Lassley (U.S. Pat. No. 5,893,550) and Weissenborn (U.S. Pat. No. 5,848,783), for example.
One disadvantage of such arrangements, however, is that the snowboard is commonly supported on its edge at least part of the time. This is particularly disadvantageous once the first of the two edges has been sharpened. Since the sharpened edge is then placed into the respective slots and used to support the snowboards while the other of the edges is being sharpened. As such, a freshly sharpened edge makes contact with each support apparatus and can dull or otherwise damage the freshly repaired edge. This is especially problematic if the snowboard is not rigidly clamped within the support apparatus and is allowed to slide or otherwise move along its edge.
When the base material and/or bottom surface of a snowboard is being reconditioned or repaired using known support stands, the snowboard is supported in a generally horizontal position such that the bottom surface is facing upward. In this position, the top surface of the snowboard that engages the support stands is supported thereon by suction cups, as shown in Lassley, or by anti-slip pads, as shown in Brill and Weissenborn. Various other disadvantages exist with these known arrangements. For one, the suction cups tend to flex when a substantial force is applied to the board, such as the force from scraping the wax from the bottom surface. Additionally, suction cups do not always stick sufficiently to the top surface of the board, depending upon the flatness, smoothness and cleanliness of the snowboard. As such, the board can slip or become otherwise unattached from the suction cups. Furthermore, anti-slip pads tend to become less sticky over time and, as such, it does not take much force to break the adhesion between the top surface and the pads. This, too, is dependent upon the cleanliness of the top surface of the snowboard. Any such conditions that allow undue flexing and/or movement of the snowboard during the repair or reconditioning process are problematic and desired to be avoided or minimized.
Still other snowboard support apparatuses are known that use elastomeric straps connected between the support apparatuses and the bindings of the board, or even clamp along the edges of the board or across the top and bottom surfaces of the snowboard, as shown in Weissenborn, for example. Each of these also have significant disadvantages.
Support stands that use the elastomeric straps still flex and otherwise permit undesired movement of the snowboard during repair or reconditioning. Furthermore, these types of support stands require that the bindings be left on the snowboard. However, such an arrangement is disadvantageous because the bindings act as a heat sink causing cold spots in which the wax impregnation of the base material is less than optimal. And, efforts to minimize such cold spots can result in distortion or melting of the base material due to overheating.
Furthermore, support stands that clamp the snowboard from edge to edge or between the top and bottom surfaces create discontinuous surfaces. This prevents the filing of the entire edge of the snowboard in one pass or the waxing of the entire bottom surface without repositioning the snowboard. This is because in each case, the clamp is in the way. Additionally, many snowboards now have capped or sloped side walls, such that certain support apparatuses that clamp along the sides of the snowboard do not securely hold the same.